Long live mountain trolls!
by sparkleygem
Summary: Harry, Ron and Hermione had always thought nothing could ever come between them, but that was until Jennifer Foster came along. Hermione's twin sister. A story about enduring friendship and accepting eachother's differences.
1. The Trepta

Disclaimer- It's not mine, O.K????????  
  
Chapter One- The Trepta  
  
Hermione Granger sat at the breakfast table, staring into space, bored out of her mind. She had eaten her porridge and drunk her orange juice (while wishing heartily that it was pumpkin juice), and now she had nothing to do.  
  
The middle of the summer holidays was always very trying for Hermione. She loved being at home- she did miss her parents when she was at school, but she always found that at about four weeks in she was left with nothing to do. Her parents still had to work most of the time, so she was generally left alone in the house, with only Crookshanks her cat for company.  
  
Usually she would have been pleased to have some time alone to study for the upcoming school year, but it was a bit hard to do that without any school-books. She had yet to go to Diagon Alley, and with her parents working all this week she would have to wait to immerse herself in Charms and Potions.  
  
Hermione didn't know why, but she had always loved to learn. She had been a real chatterbox when she was younger and had badgered her parents with questions about everything and anything since the age of two. Her parents had never told her be quiet or to stop asking questions, and when they weren't there to be asked she would find her answers in books.  
  
She loved school. It had never been a burden to her, like it was to so many others. She knew that if she wanted to do something useful with her life, she had to learn, and was extremely grateful to her teachers for being there for her to learn from. Because of her love of learning, Hermione hadn't had any close friends in Primary school, either because she was too busy studying or because her classmates had thought she was too weird. She had never been teased by anyone; she had a way of looking at people and making them back down, but she had had no one that she was very close to.  
  
Her closest friends had been Fiona Middle and Lucy Dinah. They weren't very interested in school, but they were always really nice to Hermione. She had liked them a lot, but they were far too interested in their hair and what was coming out in the cinema next week to be really close to her. Hermione had realised early on that she was a lot more mature than the people in her class, and that they didn't seem to worry about the important things in life as she did.  
  
When she had started attending Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hermione had thought it would be no different at all. She had had to work hard to convince her parents to let her attend, and she was determined not to let them down. She had thrown herself into her studies even more than she had done before. Thinking back now, Hermione realised that her behaviour during her first months at Hogwart's had been awful, so bossy and condescending, although some people didn't exactly help her a lot.  
  
Hermione smiled, remembering the way she, Harry and Ron used to fight with each other. When she had first met Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, she had thought they were both pretty slow and annoying. She dreaded to think what they had thought of her. But now they were her best friends, and the best ones anyone could ever have. They were very brave and smart in their own ways, and could always be counted on to make her laugh.  
  
Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she looked down at the Hogwart's letter on the table in front of her on the table. It had arrived earlier that morning and now Hermione stared longingly at her booklist. She wished she had them all now. She was so bored.  
  
Suddenly there came a shrill hoot from outside and Hermione looked up to see Pigwidgeon, Ron's tiny owl, practically buzzing on the windowsill. Hermione felt so happy she thought she would burst. Something to keep her occupied! At last. She threw open the window, and Pig flew in with a joyful hoot, dropped the letter on Hermione's head and continued to fly around in a frenzy. Hermione rolled her eyes. Pig was something else. She eagerly picked up the letter from Ron and ripped it open.  
  
Hermione,  
  
I take it that you've got your Hogwart's letter by now, but if you haven't, don't have a heart attack, I'm sure you haven't been expelled. If I know you, you probably want to go and get your books right now, yeah? Well you're going to have to contain yourself until Thursday, because that's when we're going to Diagon Alley. My Dad's spoken to Dumbledore and he says Harry can come as long as he stays in Diagon Alley and travels only by Floo Powder. So he's coming to the Burrow and then we're both going to come and get you by Floo. Don't worry- Dad'll fix it up. Just make sure your fireplace isn't blocked like Harry's was.  
  
Anyway, if you are just sitting there staring into space and dreaming of your books, then you obviously haven't read your letter properly. Read it now, and tell me when you've found out that you're a prefect. And please don't even pretend to be surprised. I'm one too, but I haven't told anyone else yet. Gred and Feorge will never let me live it down.  
  
Me and Harry will pick you up at about half eleven on Thursday. Take care of yourself.  
  
Ron  
  
P.S. I hope you're not gonna turn Percy on us and wear your badge all the time. I'm not.  
  
Hermione slapped her hand to her forehead and raced back to the table where her other letter lay. Ron was right- she hadn't read it properly. How could she have forgotten that this is the letter that tells her whether or not she's a prefect? Daydreaming about books- maybe she should read less.  
  
"Never let Ron or Harry hear you say that." Hermione mumbled as she picked up the letter. She quickly read it through.  
  
Dear Miss Granger,  
  
We are delighted to inform you that you have been selected to be a Prefect. This is a great honour and we hope that you will represent the school in a way that will-"  
  
Hermione didn't read anymore. She dropped the letter and punched a fist into the air. "YES!" She cried happily. She was a prefect. She knew all the hard work wasn't for nothing. After several minutes of congratulating herself as there was no one else there to do it for her, Hermione was distracted by a hiss from Crookshanks, who was staring beadily up at Pigwidgeon, who was now perched on top the fridge, waiting for Hermione's reply.  
  
Hermione grabbed a bit of paper from the desk on which the computer stood and wrote a reply to Ron.  
  
Ron,  
  
You know me too well. I didn't think of reading the letter from Professor McGonagall until you reminded me. And yes- I am a prefect, and unlike you I'm happy about it. I think you should just tell your family- they'll be really happy for you. And don't worry about Fred and George, if they tease you, you can just put them in detention when we get back to school.  
  
My fireplace isn't blocked, you'll be pleased to know, and so you won't have any trouble getting me on Thursday. It's a shame Harry has to stay with his Aunt and Uncle all summer, he could do with a break. I hear things are really getting stressful at the ministry, is your Dad alright? How is everyone? See you on Thursday.  
  
Hermione  
  
P.S. Congratulations Ron. I'm happy for you, even if your not. I just can't wait to see the prefect's lounge. I hope to God that Malfoy isn't a prefect. That'd be awful.  
  
Hermione folded the letter up very small and tied it expertly to Pig's leg. She'd had difficulty at first, but had now grown used to tying letters to Pig. Hedwig, Harry's owl, was a lot easier to handle. Harry and Ron had written to her a lot more than usual this summer, and Hermione thought she knew why. Now that Voldemort had risen again, they seemed to think she was in danger as a muggle born. It was pretty obvious by the way they both ended all their letters with 'take care of yourself'. Hermione shivered slightly. The thought of Voldemort made her feel sick.  
  
She couldn't dwell on it for long though, because Hedwig suddenly swooped through the open window. She handed the letter politely to Hermione and waited patiently for her to read it. Hermione smiled slightly and opened the letter.  
  
Hermione,  
  
How is everyone? This is just a quick note to say congratulations on being made a prefect- you don't have to tell me that you were made one. After all, with Professor Trelawney as my Divination teacher, how could I not know what was going to happen?  
  
I don't know if Ron's a prefect yet, I hope for his sake he's not, I can just imagine what the twins would say. Bet his Mum would be pleased though.  
  
Anyway, I'll see you on Thursday. Ron's probably already told you, but we'll be picking you up at half eleven by Floo powder. Yay. My favourite way to travel.  
  
In case you're wondering, I'm not a prefect. But I'm Quidditch Captain. Can you believe that? I don't know how to run a team! I'm surprised Dumbledore's even letting me stay on the team, let alone captain it. See you on Thursday, and take care of yourself.  
  
Harry  
  
Hermione laughed. Even though Harry seemed unsure about being Captain, she knew that he would be incredibly pleased. And she was pleased for him. Quickly she grabbed another bit of paper and wrote a letter for Harry.  
  
Harry,  
  
Congratulations! I'm so pleased for you- you really deserve it. Ron is a prefect, he just told me, but he hasn't told his family yet because, yes, he also knows what Fred and George will say. But I just told him to tell them. You're right by the way- Mrs. Weasley will be really pleased. I'm a prefect also, and it's a shame you're not as well, but I suppose being Quidditch Captain is enough to deal with. See you on Thursday, can't wait- I am mind-numbingly bored.  
  
Hermione.  
  
After sending Hedwig off with her answer, Hermione cleared away her breakfast things. She picked up her prefect badge and thought about putting it on, but then noticed that there was a whole other part of Ron's letter that she hadn't read in her rush to find out if she was a prefect.  
  
She picked it up. It was blank piece of parchment, quite big, and a little worn around the edges. For a moment she thought it was the Marauder's Map, but knew that it wasn't old enough. Looking on the back of Ron's letter, she saw more writing. She read it curiously, wondering why she was so absent minded today.  
  
Hermione, you may be wondering what this is. It's called a Trepta. What you do is write something on it, and the people who've got the other pieces of that particular Trepta will read it on theirs and can write back. Never write anything really important that you don't want anyone else to hear about on it. It could be dangerous. Anyway, my Dad got me this and I tore it into three pieces, so now we all have one and we can talk to each other like in a conversation through writing.  
  
Ron.  
  
P.S. It feels very fulfilling to have to explain something to you, not the other way round.  
  
Hermione put the letter down and stared at the Trepta. Wow. This thing sounded really good. She always found it a constant irritation that when she wanted to write to Harry or Ron she had to wait for one of them to write to her first as she had no owl. But Hermione loved Crookshanks a lot so she wasn't complaining. With a Trepta, though, she'd be able to write whenever she wanted.  
  
She grabbed her quill and was about to write on it when handwriting appeared at the top of the page, handwriting Hermione recognised as Ron's.  
  
R- Hermione and Harry in. Surely you've figured out how to work this thing.  
  
Hermione started, smiled quietly and quickly took up her quill.  
  
Hr- Hello Ron. Nice to hear from you too. Actually I was just about to try out this thing when you wrote, so there.  
  
R- O.K. Could I really put Fred and George in detention?  
  
Hr- Yes, if they did something bad. Does that mean you've already got my letter?  
  
R- Yep. Pig's actually quite fast. I sent him off straight away again to Harry.  
  
H- And Harry's just got his letter. Nice of you to wait for me before starting the conversation.  
  
R- Sorry mate. How are you?  
  
H- I'm alright. How's everyone at the Burrow doing?  
  
R- Great. A few more explosions than usual from the maniacs' bedroom, but Mum isn't too worried. She's more worried about Dad and Percy. They're quite stressed at the moment.  
  
Hr- Are they alright, though?  
  
R- Yeah, sure.  
  
Hr- Have you told them about the prefect thing yet?  
  
R- No, not yet.  
  
H- Suck it up man. Just go and tell them. Are you a Gryffindor or not?  
  
R- Oh shut up. Do you know what the carbon copies will do to me?  
  
Hr- I'm surprised your mum hasn't asked you yet.  
  
R- She's been out all day.  
  
Hr- Well, then you're lucky. But don't worry, really.  
  
H- And besides, you'll be able to use the Prefect's bathroom, with the swimming pool in it. You are lucky.  
  
R- Not if Moaning Myrtle's in there spying on me I'm not.  
  
Hr- Listen you two, the phone's ringing, so I'd better go. I'll talk to you in a minute.  
  
Hermione jumped up from the table and ran down the hall. She picked up the receiver. "Hello?" She answered, a little out of breath.  
  
"Hello Honey. Are you alright?" It was her mum. Hermione smiled.  
  
"I'm fine. Ron's sent me and Harry these magical parchments so we can talk to each other without sending letters. Oh, and I got my Hogwart's letter this morning and I've been made a prefect! Oh, and we're all going to Diagon alley on Thursday, Harry and Ron are going to pick me up from here by Floo powder, it's where you travel by fire and-, Mum?" Hermione realised her mother was very quiet.  
  
"Hermione, I'm very proud of you, you deserve to be a prefect. I just called to let you know that your Father's on his way home, he's got something to tell you. It's very important, so you have to stay calm. I wish I could be there as well, but I've got so much work on. I feel very guilty. Dad should be there in a few minutes. Bye darling"  
  
"Mum-" Hermione began, but Joanne Granger had hung up. Hermione frowned and slowly hung up the phone as well. She walked back into the kitchen, where she found Harry and Ron talking about Quidditch, oh what a surprise. Hermione picked up her quill.  
  
Hr- I'm back.  
  
H- Who was on the phone?  
  
Hr- It was my mum. She's at work at the moment. Listen you two, I'm going to have to go now, my Dad's on the way home and apparently he's got some really important news for me.  
  
R- O.K. then. Hermione- to turn this off you just write 'Hermione out' and what me and Harry are writing won't come up on your Trepta. To turn it on again, you just write something.  
  
H- But how do we write to Hermione, then?  
  
R- Oh, you just write 'Hermione in' before you start writing.  
  
H- O.K. Bye Hermione. I'm sure it's good news.  
  
R- Yeah. Speak to you later.  
  
Hr- Hermione out. 


	2. The News

Disclaimer- It all belongs to J.K…  
  
Chapter Two- The News  
  
Hermione put all her letters in the box she kept in her room, and placed the Trepta on her desk. She badly wanted to keep writing on it, she had missed Harry and Ron a lot this summer; she had been quite lonely, and being able to talk to them again was almost as good as being with them. Hermione sighed as she went back downstairs and into the spacious lounge. It was bathed in sunlight from the big bay windows, and Hermione sat down on the white leather lazy-boy chair, just like the ones in he favourite T.V show, Friends. It was the only show she ever watched.  
  
Hermione tried to relax and stay calm as her mum had instructed, but it was hard. What was the news? Hermione didn't know what to feel; excited or afraid. Her mother hadn't told her whether it was good or bad. Thinking back to the phone call, Joanne Granger had simply sounded worried for her daughter. Hermione felt fear grip her heart and she shivered again. What if it had something to do with Voldemort?  
  
Hermione shook her head as her father's car pulled into the driveway. Her parents knew nothing of the wizarding world, and Hermione had not yet told them the full extent of what was happening. The news obviously didn't have anything to do with Voldemort, and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. But she felt the same unsure panic rise when her father walked into the room with an equally unsure look on his face.  
  
"Hi Dad." Said Hermione quietly. He looked pretty tired.  
  
"Hi honey." Said Ben Granger, coming into the room and sitting down on the end of the sofa nearest his daughter. He looked at her for a minute and then down at the floor. Hermione stood up and sat next her father on the sofa. "So…is it bad news?" She asked quickly.  
  
Her dad smiled at her. "No it's not. At least, I hope it's not anyway." He said. To Hermione, he looked like he simply didn't know what to say.  
  
"Hermione. I don't really know where to start." He stammered. Hermione took a deep breath. "Just say it. You're killing me." She said jokingly. Her Dad smiled. "Alright."  
  
He ran a hand through his thick brown hair. "Here goes nothing. Yesterday your mother and I had a telephone call from Josephine Yates." He said. Hermione's eyes widened. She had never met Josephine Yates in her life, but had heard a lot about her.  
  
When Hermione received her letter from Hogwart's, her parents had been extremely confused. They hadn't believed in magic until that point, and almost didn't let Hermione go to the school. She was an only child, and they didn't want her to leave. Hermione had always wanted a little brother or sister, but she had never got one.  
  
Hermione had been a little confused herself by her letter. She knew it wasn't a joke- she had always known that she had some kind of special power. To learn about them would be great. But her parents had started acting very strangely around her. In the end she had got the truth out of them. And had almost had a heart attack.  
  
Hermione Granger was adopted. At first she didn't believe it, but then it started to make sense. There were no photos of her as a very young baby, and she had never seen her birth certificate. Her parents told her that they were unable to have children and so had decided to adopt. About how they hadn't told her before now because they didn't think she was old enough to understand. Hermione had been in shock for several days, but in the end it had just brought her closer to her parents. She found that she didn't care; they were her parents and that was that. Her biological parents had both died, her father before she was born and her mother giving birth. She sometimes felt a little regret she had never known them, but this never lasted very long.  
  
Her parents had told Hermione whatever she wanted to know about the adoption, and this had led to her being told about Josephine Yates. Josephine Yates had been Ben and Joanne's Social worker, and had been a very good friend to them while they went through the nightmare of trying to adopt a baby. But Hermione also knew that they had not heard from her since they had adopted her. Why would she be calling now?  
  
"She told us something that we found very hard to believe, and that you probably won't like. First of all, you have to understand something Honeybunch. When people want to adopt, they usually want to adopt babies. And there aren't a lot. We were extremely lucky to get you."  
  
Hermione nodded. She didn't know where this was leading and wasn't sure if she wanted to hear it. They didn't discuss her adoption that often. Her father continued.  
  
"Hermione, we didn't know this when you were adopted, else you would have known sooner, believe me. But you, well um, you," He sighed. "You have a twin."  
  
Hermione wasn't sure whether she had heard right or not. A twin? Her father sat watching her, obviously expecting her to say something. But what? For once in her life, Hermione Granger was lost for words. "Oh." She managed.  
  
Ben Granger sighed and rubbed his temples. "Her name is Jennifer Foster and she lives in America with her parents. They moved out there when she was about one or something. Josephine said that her parents told her she had a twin a few years ago. I don't know why they were told and we weren't, I honestly don't."  
  
Hermione heard her father's voice as if from far away. Her entire life she had wanted a sister or a brother, but since she found out she was adopted she had accepted that this was impossible. She envied Ron like hell- he had five brothers and a sister. Harry was an only child as well, though, so it wasn't too bad. But Ron didn't know how lucky he was. All her life, all through Primary school when she'd had no friends, all that time she had had a twin. The only living blood relative that she knew of.  
  
She had met lots of people at Hogwart's- now she had lots of friends, and she, Harry and Ron were very close. But no one she had ever met were as close as Fred and George, Ron's older brothers, who were identical twins. She had been denied that her entire life. Hermione had never felt so angry. 'Hold your horses girl- what about Parvati and Padma?' Even in her angry state the calm, questioning, reasonable Hermione was asking questions. And it was a good one. Parvati and Padma Patil weren't that close at all- they weren't even in the same house. And she didn't even know if Jennifer and her were identical; they could be completely different. And that was very likely as they hadn't seen each other for almost sixteen years. Hermione took a deep, calming breath.  
  
"Why is Mrs. Yates only telling you now?" Hermione asked, trying to control her breathing. Ben Granger smiled at the sensible question. Hermione had always been so calm when he and her mother were freaking out. She was their rock.  
  
"That's the hardest part, darling. Jennifer and her parents are immigrating back to England, and Jennifer really wants to meet you as soon as possible. Now, Josephine has said that you don't have to, but if you do want to meet her as well, you can do so tomorrow." Hermione sucked in a sharp breath. "Tomorrow?" She hissed, unable to believe what she was hearing.  
  
Ben Granger took his daughter's hand and gave it a squeeze. She didn't seem to notice. Hermione was lost in her own head, and all she could think was I have a twin, I have a twin… She heard her father's proposal and didn't have to think for long about whether or not to meet Jennifer. After all, she was a Gryffindor.  
  
"I want to meet her." She said defiantly, squaring her shoulders. Her Dad smiled. "I had a feeling you would." He pulled Hermione into a hug, which woke her up from her daydreaming and caused a tear to leak down her face. Her parents were so understanding. She had never, ever worried about her past before and hadn't given a second thought about being adopted, but this was just bringing it all up again. She didn't want to have to think about it, there were more important things that needed her attention. But she couldn't tell Jennifer she didn't feel ready to meet her yet. Apparently she had known about her for a few years. The waiting must have been so hard for her.  
  
That night Hermione went up to bed at about seven o, clock, and the first thing she noticed was that her Trepta was filled with writing.  
  
H- Hermione in. Hey Herm. It's about five and we still haven't heard from you- are you O.K?  
  
R- Hermione? Are you there?  
  
H- Well, duh. If she was there she would answer.  
  
R- Shut up Potter. Do you think she got some bad news or something? Something must be wrong to make her forget about telling us.  
  
H- I'm sure she's alright. But if she has forgotten, then blimey, Rita Skeeter would have a front-page story.  
  
R- I've got to have dinner now. See you later.  
  
H- Bye.  
  
R- Ron out.  
  
H- Hermione and Ron in. Are you there yet Hermione? And Ron- if you're still eating two hours later, then you are a bigger pig than I thought, and that's saying something.  
  
H- Helloooooooooooooooooooo? Am I speaking to myself? Talk to me!  
  
R- Ahhh, is ickle Harry getting lonely?  
  
H- Oh, so you are alive.  
  
R- Ha ha. Isn't Hermione here yet?  
  
H- Do you see her handwriting?  
  
R- Point taken. Maybe should try sending her an owl. Pig would get there pretty fast.  
  
Hermione smiled and picked up her quill. She had completely forgotten about them- her father had taken her out to keep her mind off things.  
  
Hr- I'm here.  
  
H- At last! What did you do, hide the parchment and put a memory charm on yourself?  
  
Hr- No, my Dad took me out. Sorry.  
  
R- We forgive you. Just. So what was the news?  
  
Hermione hesitated. She knew that she had to tell them about Jennifer sometime, but they didn't even know she was adopted. Well, she had to start somewhere.  
  
Hr- I will tell you both, but I want to tell you to your face. However, I can tell you one thing that you've never heard before- are you both sitting down?  
  
R- Yeah.  
  
H- Why? You're not pregnant are you? Don't worry, You can tell us.  
  
Hr- Harry- how did you guess? (In case you can't tell you fool, I'm being sarcastic).  
  
H- I never would have guessed. (I am also being sarcastic).  
  
Hr- Just shut up, this is pretty hard to tell you.  
  
H- Sorry, I'm listening. I mean reading.  
  
Hr- O.K. Here goes. I'm adopted.  
  
Hr- Hello? Are you still with me there?  
  
R- Are you serious?  
  
H- No, she's Hermione.  
  
Hr- Very funny Harry. (sarcasm again) Yes, I am telling the perfect truth Ron. I've known since I was eleven. My biological parents are both dead.  
  
R- Sorry.  
  
Hr- Don't be, I never knew them and I have the best adoptive parents anyone could ever have.  
  
H- Did your big news have something to do with you being adopted?  
  
Hr- Yes it did. That's why I thought I'd better tell you before I tell you the news. I'm sorry I never told you both before, but to tell you the truth, I nearly always forget I'm adopted. The Grangers are my parents and they always will be.  
  
R- Well, I can't wait to hear the news. Can't you tell us? Please?  
  
Hr- No.  
  
R- Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please.  
  
Hr- Did you tell your mum yet about being a prefect?  
  
R- Yes I did, and way to change the subject.  
  
Hr- What happened?  
  
R- Nothing much.  
  
H- Oh go on Ron, tell her.  
  
R- If I must. Ginny found out first because the nosey little sod looked over my shoulder when I was talking to Harry earlier, so I had to tell Mum to get rid of that smug look on her face. She almost fainted. Then she started crying and hugging me. I was almost suffocated, I swear. Then surprise surprise Fred and George come in and she tells them and they give me this look the just said "we're gonna make your life hell." So far they've let off a dungbomb in my bedroom and slipped a canary cream into one of my sandwiches, but apart from that it's gone quite well.  
  
H- I think you've got off lightly.  
  
R- The night is young.  
  
Hr- What did the rest of your family say?  
  
R- Dad hasn't heard yet. But Percy, ugh. He is so formal it shouldn't be allowed. He shakes my hand and goes; "I am pleased for you Ronald. I hope that you keep up the Weasley tradition and become an upstanding member of the school community." The twins were dying from laughter. Shame they didn't finish.  
  
Hermione stared at the word 'twins' and felt ill again. All day she had been feeling increasingly more nervous but had managed to forget in the last few minutes. She couldn't carry on talking. She had to be alone and think. Jennifer was coming up her house tomorrow and her room was a mess.  
  
Hr- Listen, I've got to go now. Me and my parents are going out and we won't be back until very late. I'll talk to you tomorrow sometime.  
  
H- O.K. Herm, see you later. Have a nice time.  
  
R- Yeah. Bye- where are you going anyway?  
  
Hr- Hermione out.  
  
Hermione threw down her quill and swallowed hard as the words on the Trepta disappeared. She was glad Harry and Ron hadn't asked lots of questions about the adoption, and she didn't know why she had lied about going out. She just couldn't face talking tonight. Now she was alone though, she knew she could have kept talking. She couldn't sit alone thinking all night. It'd drive her crazy.  
  
Hermione stood up and looked around her room, for something to do. She found nothing. 


	3. Jennifer

Disclaimer- It's not mine, except for Jennifer…  
  
Chapter three- Jennifer  
  
Hermione woke up at five thirty in the morning, after finally falling asleep at about two. She had lain awake worrying about what Jennifer would think of her. Would she like her? Would she be nice? What did she look like? And what on earth would they say to each other?  
  
Hermione finally dragged herself out of bed after two hours of hopelessly trying to get back to sleep. But, as usual, once she had woken up she just couldn't get back to sleep. Hermione walked over to her desk and took her diary out of the drawer. She always used to write in her diary, but her last entry in it had been back before she had gone to Hogwart's. Hermione wandered over to the bean-bag chair in front of her bedroom window and flopped down onto it, flipping open her diary as she did so.  
  
September 19th  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
My name is Hermione Granger and yesterday was my eleventh birthday. I've never had a diary before, so I'm new to this. I'm the oldest person in my class and…  
  
Hermione skipped forward to something that looked more interesting.  
  
1 May 15th  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
The people in my class are so horrible. Sometimes I feel like you're my only friend, Diary, and no offence or anything, but that makes me feel slightly pathetic. The only people who talk to me are Fiona and Lucy, and I'm sure that's only because they sit next to me. I wish I had a brother or a sister, and then at least I wouldn't be so lonely. Bit late now though, seeing as I'm eleven and that means we wouldn't be that close…  
  
Hermione looked out of the window at the street below. Even when she was eleven she had wanted a twin, and now she had one. So why wasn't she more excited? She skipped on to her very last entry, written after she had found out she was adopted.  
  
July 17th  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
I don't know what to do with myself. I'm not Hermione Granger anymore, I just don't know who I am at all. I love my adoptive parents and I must admit it does feel really horrible to call them that. But why did they have to tell me? I was perfectly happy not knowing thank you very much. Now I know why I'm an only child. And to think I still hoped I could have a sibling. Huh. Well, maybe I do, for all I know. I have a whole different family I never knew about. And how am I meant to go to Hogwart's now? I'd feel like I'm abandoning my parents. I bet no one there was adopted; I'll just be a freak. It'll be just like Primary school but worse because I have to start all over again. I've never had any friends and I never will. I just wish I had a sister. Why am I an only child? Why me?  
  
Hermione  
  
Hermione sighed heavily. She had been so pessimistic back then, but with good reason. When she found out she was adopted, Hermione's entire world had come crashing down around her. Hermione looked down at her diary and noticed that the pink bookmark that told her what day they were on was tucked into the book several pages ahead. Hermione opened the diary to that page and found another entry, written in the Christmas holidays, that she had completely forgotten about. She settled back to read what she had written.  
  
2 December 20th  
  
Dear diary,  
  
I have just got back from my first ever term at Hogwart's and I have never, ever been happier. I HAVE FRIENDS! Maybe I should have tried harder with the people in Primary school after all, because I certainly didn't like Harry and Ron when I first met them. Talk about obnoxious! But no, they are my best friends, and I know they will be for ages. I once told you, diary, that you were my only friend. And I also used to tell you all the time that all I wanted was a sister. I was wrong. All I wanted was a friend. Now I have two! I now know that I don't need a sister to keep me company- Ron's got loads of brothers and sisters and he doesn't really like them that much. And Harry's an only child as well but at least I've got parents. His are dead and I should stop being so selfish. I just thought I'd better let you know that this will be my last entry, because you're not my only friend anymore, Diary, I have the best friends in the world and I'll never be lonely again.  
  
Thanks anyway,  
  
Hermione.  
  
Hermione smiled to herself. She would never, ever, ever tell Harry and Ron about that entry. Ever. But it was true, they were her best friends and she was never lonely like she used to be. They were like her family, but a lot closer to her than her brothers. They came as a package, the three of them, and if one of them was your enemy, they all were. Hermione placed her diary back into its drawer and started to brush her unruly hair. She hoped for Jennifer's sake that she didn't have the same hair as her. 'That poor girl' was all she could say if she did.  
  
Hermione's eyes fell on her quills and the books on her desk. Suddenly, for the first time, it dawned on her that Jennifer knew nothing about Hogwart's and she wasn't allowed to, either. Hermione looked up at the clock. It was eight in the morning. She had two hours to hide all traces of magic in her house. She had to be quick.  
  
Two hours later, Hermione sat back in the lazy-boy chair in her living room and gripped the arm rests tightly. Josephine Yates was due at any minute, and Jennifer with her. Although Hermione was understandably very nervous, she also felt a small sense of peace. Reading her diary had reminded her only too well of what Primary school used to be like for her, and she knew that if she had met Jennifer back then she would have freaked out. But now she knew that if things didn't work out between them it wouldn't matter too much- Harry and Ron would always be there for her. Even when they had hated each other in the first year, they had risked their lives to save hers. Hermione smiled as she thought back to the fiasco with the Philosopher's Stone. It had seemed so hard and dangerous to them back then, but in light of all that had happened to them over the years, now it seemed quite trivial. She almost burst out laughing as she remembered meeting Fluffy for the first time…  
  
3 Ding-dong!  
  
Hermione jumped a foot in the air. All her memories had made her completely forget about the impending visit. She'd have to remember that trick in the future, it certainly made the wait pass quickly.  
  
Her father calmly put down his paper and stood up, his eyes on Hermione. She saw her mother walk past the living-room door and give her a small, encouraging smile. Her parents were so worried about her. Hermione squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. They had no need.  
  
Hermione was about to walk out into the hall when Ben Granger put his hand on her shoulder to keep her where she was. She took another deep breath and waited somewhat impatiently.  
  
She listened as Joanne Granger opened the door. Then came a voice- a new voice, a very calm, friendly voice. "Joanne! Well I never! You look fantastic! Oh, it's been far too long…" There was a pause, during which Hermione supposed Mrs. Yates was hugging her mother. Her father's hand tightened on her shoulder.  
  
"Jo, it is so good to see you again." Hermione's mother was speaking now. "Please come in, come in and…oh my G-! Um, well, in you come." Hermione looked up at her Dad, who was looking just as confused as she was.  
  
Mrs. Yates was speaking again. "Thank you. This is Jennifer Foster." A new voice joined them, and Hermione realised with a thrill that this was her twin. "I'm pleased to meet you Mrs. Granger." She sounded quite friendly, and had a strong Californian accent.  
  
Joanne Granger took a minute to answer. "Oh! Um, well, um, do please call me Joanne, please. Um, well, why don't you, er, go on through?" Hermione looked up at her Dad again, and he shrugged hopelessly. Joanne Granger never lost her cool. What was going on?  
  
Hermione realised what was going on as soon as Jennifer Foster entered the room, a slightly confused look on her face. Hermione gasped loudly and felt her face flush. If she hadn't had her father to hold her up, she knew that she would have collapsed. Jennifer wasn't just her twin; she was her identical twin. No one had thought to mention that tiny but ever so crucial little detail to her. And it was obvious that no one had told Jennifer either.  
  
Hermione saw a pair of eyes just like hers widen in shock and a mouth just like hers open in wonder. She was so absorbed in staring at her that she didn't even realise she was pulling the exact same face.  
  
Josephine Yates walked into the room behind Jennifer and gave a cry as her hands flew to her mouth in shock. "They're identical! Well I never!" She muttered, as she collapsed onto one of the sofas, still staring between the twins.  
  
Jennifer was the first to recover. She tucked her bushy hair behind her ears and swallowed. "Um, hello Hermione." She said awkwardly, blushing furiously as she spoke. Hermione smiled slightly. She didn't know exactly what to say, but they had to start somewhere. Remembering what Harry had said to Ron the previous day about whether or not he was a Gryffindor or not, she squared her shoulders. She certainly was one.  
  
"Hi Jennifer. It's um, really nice to um, meet you. Er, do you want a drink or anything?" Hermione said the words, but was mentally kicking herself at the same time. This was her twin sister, and the most she could say to her was do you want a drink? But Jennifer seemed to know what she was thinking and smiled at her. 'She's got a nice smile' Hermione found herself thinking. Then she realised that they looked the same, so that would mean that she had on too, but she didn't, did she? 'Oh shut up girl!' She thought, silencing the bickering voices in her head.  
  
"No, I'm fine. Thanks." Jennifer said in her thick Californian accent, answering the question just as awkwardly as Hermione had asked it. They sat down on the sofa, still staring at each other. It was like looking in a mirror, for both of them. They were even wearing the same colour, Hermione realised suddenly. She had put a lot of thought into what to wear that day, which was quite unusual for Hermione. The only other time had been the Yule Ball last year, and that had been a lot worse than today. Imagine- four hours to get ready! Today, Hermione had decided to wear mid-blue, because it was her best colour, and Jennifer had obviously been thinking along the same lines, because there she was, in a blue vest with a matching cardigan.  
  
Glancing up quickly, Hermione saw that the adults had cleared out of the room. She looked back to Jennifer, who was staring out of the window. The tension was terrible. Hermione frowned. What do you do to break the tension? 'Say something funny!' A voice in Hermione's head said, and that alone almost made her laugh. Hermione didn't do funny. She needed Ron, or Fred and George for that kind of thing. She had a try though.  
  
"I was hoping for your sake that you didn't have my hair." She said brightly, but not too brightly. Or was it? Jennifer looked at Hermione and laughed. At first Hermione thought she was just being polite and pretending it was funny, but soon she found herself joining in. They laughed for a long time, not about anything in particular, but it was one of those things, and they couldn't stop for a long time.  
  
And that was the icebreaker. They chatted for half an hour non-stop, mainly about their parents and how weird it was too look so much like each other. But, as Jennifer pointed out, at least they wouldn't need a mirror anymore. This set then off into fits of giggles again, and they only stopped when Mrs. Yates came in to take Jennifer back to her parents. Jennifer nodded and stood up, but Hermione thought, (or did she just imagine it?) that she looked a bit reluctant to go.  
  
Ben and Joanne Granger came in and smiled at their daughter. She smiled back at them confidently and turned to Jennifer. "Do you want to come over again tomorrow, Jennifer?" Hermione said, surprised that she actually found the words to ask.  
  
Jennifer smiled and looked a bit relieved. "Yeah, I'd like that a lot. What time?" Hermione thought for a moment and then said "Anytime." Jennifer smiled at her and then quickly gave her a hug. Hermione barely had time to register the thought 'I'm hugging my twin! My twin!' Before Jennifer pulled away and she and Mrs. Yates left. Ben Granger shut the door behind them and Hermione sank down onto her recliner. Hermione still couldn't believe that she had met her twin sister. It hadn't been too awkward, and she now felt so elated she felt as if she would burst. And they were meeting again tomorrow. This day, Wednesday the 18th of August, would always have a special place in her diary from now on. And she was sure tomorrow would be even better. Yes, tomorrow, Thursday the- THURSDAY! 


	4. Long live mountain trolls!

Disclaimer- All Harry Potter type things belong to J.K. Rowling.  
  
Chapter Four- Long live Mountain Trolls!  
  
Hr- Harry and Ron in. Harry? Ron? Are you guys there? Please be there! Please?  
  
Hermione threw down her quill and rubbed her neck. As soon as Jennifer left she had run upstairs to talk to Harry and Ron, but were they there? Of course not. She picked up her quill to try again.  
  
Hr- Please hurry up and answer. I really need to talk to you. Hello?  
  
Hr- Oh, please answer. Please!  
  
Hr- Oh come on you two! Aren't you awake yet? You lazy little  
  
R- I am NOT lazy.  
  
H- Whatever Ron.  
  
Hr- About time! Where were you both?  
  
H- We were here the entire time actually.  
  
R- We just wanted to see you wound up.  
  
Hr- Gee thanks you two. Now listen, I can't come to Diagon Alley tomorrow.  
  
R- Why not?  
  
Hr- I just can't.  
  
H- Herm, we haven't seen you in ages. Please come.  
  
Hermione bit her lip. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten about Diagon Alley. And she knew how Harry felt; she really wanted to see them too. She had missed them a lot this summer. But she couldn't blow off Jennifer.  
  
Hr- I'm sorry you two. I really am. I was really looking forward to seeing you both again. And heaven knows how much I need to buy some new books to read. But I can't go tomorrow.  
  
R- Well, when do you want to go then? Any day's good for me.  
  
H- Same here.  
  
Hermione smiled and felt a rush of gratitude towards her best friends. But she knew how trapped Harry was at his Aunt's house, so she didn't want him to have to wait ages until getting a day off. Even so, she felt sad writing the next part.  
  
Hr- Don't worry about it you two. Really. Go tomorrow and have a good time. My mum said she'd take me on Saturday, so I'll be fine.  
  
H- Are you sure?  
  
Hr- Yep. And have a nice time.  
  
R- So why can't you come?  
  
Hr- Some people are coming over. I haven't seen them in ages and my mum wants me here.  
  
R- O.K. then.  
  
Hermione, even though she couldn't see his face when he wrote those two words, somehow knew that Ron knew that she wasn't telling the absolute truth. She swallowed and kept writing.  
  
Hr- So what were you two talking about when I came along?  
  
H- Quidditch.  
  
Hr- That's a surprise. Well, now that I'm here you've got something more interesting to talk about.  
  
H- What's that?  
  
Hr- Me of course! Choose anything-my unfading beauty, my wit, charm, kindness, charisma…take your pick. I am the light of both your lives after all.  
  
H- You forgot to put 'modesty' on the list.  
  
Hr- Hey you're right! Well spotted!  
  
Hermione sat back and laughed. She never really joked around, but she felt so happy at the moment. She was talking to her best friends in the World, the sun was shining, she was going to Diagon Alley on Saturday, and on top of that she had just met her twin sister. Looking down at the Trepta, Hermione suddenly realised that Ron hadn't said anything in a while.  
  
Hr- Are you there Ron?  
  
R- Yeah. Why?  
  
Hr- No reason. You just haven't said anything in a while that's all.  
  
R- What's going on with you?  
  
Hermione bit her lip and screwed up her eyes.  
  
Hr- What do you mean?  
  
R- You know what I mean. You're keeping something from us. I thought we didn't have secrets from each other?  
  
Hermione sighed. At the beginning of the holidays, they had all promised to not keep anything from each other anymore. They had to all stick together, as Dumbledore had said before term ended. Hermione had promised, and she had meant it. But she just didn't think that Jennifer was really something Harry and Ron desperately needed to know about.  
  
Hr- We don't. I'm not hiding anything.  
  
R- Come off it Hermione. You told us yesterday that you had something to tell us.  
  
Hr- I do. But it's not so important that it can't wait until I see you both. I want to tell you to your face.  
  
R- It's more important than you're letting on. You have to tell us.  
  
Hermione frowned. She didn't have to tell them anything. She gritted her teeth and folded her arms. Sometimes Ron could be a right prat.  
  
R- Hermione?  
  
Hermione looked away from the Trepta defiantly.  
  
R- I'm sorry Hermione.  
  
Hermione looked down at the parchment in surprise. Ron never, ever apologised. He would just look away and change the subject.  
  
H- Alright. Who are you, and what have you done with Ron?  
  
R- Ha ha.  
  
Hr- I know what's going on. He's only apologising because he doesn't have to look at me when he says it.  
  
R- Very funny. Seriously though.  
  
Hr- I forgive you.  
  
R- Good.  
  
H- You would tell us if something was wrong though, wouldn't you?  
  
Hr- Of course I would you idiot.  
  
R- We're really worried about you.  
  
Hr- Really? I couldn't tell by the way you both end your letters with 'take care of yourself'. But listen, you don't have to be worried. I'm fine.  
  
H- Good. Not meaning to be soppy, but I would go mad if I didn't have you two to talk to.  
  
R- Same here mate.  
  
Hr- I agree. I'm glad that you two are my best friends.  
  
R- It's getting too soppy now.  
  
H- Hear hear!  
  
Hermione heard her mum calling up the stairs and she smiled.  
  
Hr- I've got to go now guys. Speak to you later, and long live mountain trolls! Hermione out. 


	5. Big Thursday

Disclaimer- none of it belongs to me, blah, blah, blah…  
  
Chapter five- Big Thursday.  
  
Hermione slept a hundred times better that night than the night before. She only realised just how tired she was when she climbed under the covers that night at ten, o, clock.  
  
She woke up at eight o, clock, which is actually quite late for her. At Hogwart's she was always up and about by seven, something that made Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown think she was utterly bonkers. But Hermione didn't actually care what they thought.  
  
She had always tried to get on with Parvati and Lavender, and she succeeded most of the time. They were nice girls, but sometimes they were so superficial she couldn't stand them. One Saturday, Lavender had spent three hours deciding what hairstyle to have for a Hogsmeade trip. Hermione had tried to point out that, as there was a strong wind blowing outside any hairstyle would be fine as it was sure to be messed up. Did they listen? Nope. And sure enough, Lavender's hair was a complete mess after three minutes. Hermione, however, had put her hair into a very tight ponytail, complete with lots of hairclips, and although it hadn't really suited her, it had stayed relatively presentable.  
  
They never listened to Hermione's sensible advice, so she had stopped giving it. She rarely spoke to them; they had each other after all. And she got the feeling that they thought she was a little annoying anyway. It had got worse since she had given up Divination classes in the third year. They worshipped Professor Trelawney, and hated it when Hermione said anything bad about her. And that was pretty often.  
  
Hermione jumped energetically out of bed and quickly put on her most comfortable pair of jeans and her favourite sleeveless top. Then she ran downstairs to grab some breakfast. Her parents had left a note for her underneath a magnet on the fridge.  
  
Hermione, have a great time today, we'll be home about five. Love you lots, Mum and Dad.  
  
Hermione smiled and threw the note away. Then she set about making her favourite breakfast: porridge mixed with honey, sugar and a touch of lemon. Ron and Harry thought she mad. But then again, they both hated lemon. Oh well. She ate her breakfast quickly and rinsed the bowl out. Even though the kitchen was already very clean, Hermione quickly tidied it again. She hated mess, and that, coupled with her desire for Jennifer to see the house at it's best, sent her on a cleaning spree that lasted an hour.  
  
Hermione had just finished polishing the desk in her bedroom when she noticed the Trepta lying on it. It was filled with Harry's handwriting.  
  
H- Hermione and Ron in. Hey Herm! It's eight in the morning and I've been up for ages. I'm not gonna bother saying hello to Ron until at least ten, coz he won't be up 'til then at least. Anyway, write back when you get this.  
  
H- Don't tell me you're still asleep Hermione. Blimey, it must be a record.  
  
H- Please someone talk to me! I'm going out of my mind with only Dudley to talk to until Ron comes to get me. Anyone? Lazy sods.  
  
H- It is now nine fifteen and this is the last time I'm gonna write until SOMEONE is up. You two are pathetic.  
  
Hermione smiled to herself. Poor Harry, he sounded really lonely. She quickly took up her quill and wrote back.  
  
Hr- Excuse me Potter, but I am NOT pathetic. I have been up since eight, I just haven't noticed you were writing.  
  
H- Oh that's nice. Now I'm invisible.  
  
Hr- Only when you're wearing a cloak.  
  
H- Very funny. So what time are your friends coming up?  
  
Hr- Anytime now, I think. I'm really excited.  
  
H- Who are they?  
  
Hr- Friends of my parents. I haven't seen them since I was really young.  
  
H- Cool. Do you want us to get you some sweets or anything from Diagon Alley?  
  
Hr- Nice of you to ask, but my parents wouldn't allow them in the house.  
  
H- Good point. Oh well, I'm sure Ron will buy you some Dungbombs or something anyway.  
  
R- What's that supposed to mean?  
  
H- Hello Ron. Up in time for the crumbs left over from breakfast?  
  
R- You can't see, but my sides are splitting with laughter. Why would I buy Dungbombs?  
  
H- Because you're always buying them. And remember what you wrote in the front of my Fantastic Beasts book? "Dungbombs rule".  
  
R- I was twelve when I wrote that.  
  
H- It's not like you've grown up though.  
  
R- You're a fine one to talk!  
  
H- What's that supposed to mean?  
  
Hr- O.K. children, break it up.  
  
R- Good morning to you too Hermione.  
  
R- Hello?  
  
H- Hermione?  
  
R- You scared her Harry.  
  
H- Oh shut up you retard.  
  
R- Nice comeback.  
  
H- Thanks. Where's she gone though?  
  
R- Dunno. Maybe those people have arrived.  
  
Hr- Sorry, I was just going downstairs, I couldn't write and walk at the same time.  
  
R- Oh well. How're the folks?  
  
Hr- Fine. They're at work at the moment.  
  
R- What? But you said there were people coming up.  
  
Hermione closed her eyes in horror. She had completely given herself away. Cursing her stupidity, Hermione picked up her quill again.  
  
Hr- They are. My parents are coming home in a minute. They had to go in to see some of the staff for a meeting or something.  
  
R- O.K.  
  
Hermione jumped as the doorbell rang. She was here! Hermione leapt up and then quickly sat down again.  
  
Hr- Gotta go. Hermione out.  
  
Hermione stuffed the Trepta in a cabinet along with her quill, and ran to the front door. Jennifer was standing on the doorstep, looking really nervous.  
  
"Hermione! Hi, um, sorry if this too early, but…" Jennifer started. Hermione shook her head and opened the door wider. "It's not, come on in." Jennifer smiled and stepped inside. That was when Hermione noticed the two people standing behind her, staring between the two of them. Hermione had never seen them before, but she knew instantly who they were.  
  
She smiled happily. "Hi. You must be Jennifer's parents. Come in, please." The woman, who had very pretty blond hair, shook her head and smiled at Hermione. "No thank you dear, we have to go. It was lovely meeting you though." Hermione smiled back at Mrs. Foster. She seemed really nice. Mr. Foster was still staring at Hermione. Mrs. Foster poked him in the ribs and he looked at her.  
  
"They're identical." He said disbelievingly to his wife, who looked up at him furiously. He stared back at her until he realised what she was angry about. He quickly looked up at Hermione with an apologetic look on his face. "Nice to meet you Hermione."  
  
Hermione smiled back at him. She liked Jennifer's parents; they seemed very sweet. "Come on you goose. Bye you two. We'll be back at three to pick you up Jen." Said Mrs. Foster with a grin.  
  
"O.K. See you later." Said Jennifer, who was standing just behind Hermione. The Fosters nodded and walked over to their car. Hermione closed the door and turned to face Jennifer, who was looking around the hall with interest.  
  
"Your house is so beautiful. I didn't really get to see a lot of it yesterday." She turned around and smiled at Hermione who grinned back. "Well, then let me give you a guided tour." She said.  
  
~*~  
  
Four hours later, Hermione and Jennifer sat at the big pine breakfast table, using teaspoons to scoop out the last of the cake batter from the big mixing bowl. The smell of baking fairy cakes was filling the kitchen and beginning to creep out into the rest of the house.  
  
They had had lots of fun, not only baking cakes, but also rooting through Hermione's old magazines and making fun of all the old fashions and awful boy-bands. Hermione had never really read them before- her mother had bought them for her, and Hermione had never found them even remotely interesting. But now, she found them very funny.  
  
Jennifer had loved Hermione's bedroom. She kept enthusing on how big it was, and how it was her exact favourite colour- baby blue. Hermione had hidden all her school things in her parent's wardrobe, and this was definitely a good thing seeing as Jennifer threw open Hermione's wardrobe to have a look inside. Well, Hermione's wardrobe was more like a closet actually. Jennifer had told her about how when she was little, she practically lived in her closet, and Hermione had told her about her old tree house in the garden.  
  
"So Hermione, do you have a boyfriend?" Jennifer asked, using her finger to scoop out even more of the cake batter. Hermione groaned inwardly. She knew that question was going to crop up sometime, for even though she really liked Jennifer, she could sense that there was a slight Parvati/Lavender-type part of her personality.  
  
Hermione scooped out some more cake batter. "Nope." She said, shaking her head. Jennifer put down her spoon. "Do you go to an all girls school?" she asked. Hermione thought quickly. She wanted to tell Jennifer about Hogwarts. But she would think she was completely crazy and she wasn't really supposed to anyway.  
  
"Um, yeah it is. Er, kind of anyway. It's a boarding school, you see, and…" Hermione began. "You go to a boarding school?" Said Jennifer with interest. She leaned forward to listen. Hermione felt trapped. She hated lying, but she would have to now. And it looked like Jennifer was going to ask a lot of questions.  
  
"Yes. It's called, um, St. Matthew's, and it's in Scotland. I have to get the train there at the beginning of each term. But it's alright because we have a special school train." Hermione said.  
  
Jennifer looked really interested. 'Damn!' Thought Hermione. She was going to have to answer some questions now…  
  
"Is it an all girls school?" Jennifer repeated. Hermione swallowed. On the one hand, she could say it was, but on the other hand, if she accidentally mentioned Harry and Ron, she would be stuck.  
  
"Well," she started slowly. "Not really. There are two main buildings, one for girls and one for boys. But we have meals together and assemblies. Our classes are separate though."  
  
Jennifer sat back. "So do you have, like, midnight feasts and stuff?" She asked. Hermione thought before she answered. Parvati and Lavender were always having midnight feasts, but she refused to have a part in it. She'd stayed up once, and had been thoroughly bored by the entire experience. All they did was eat sweets and giggle. But then again, Hermione found that the only girl she really counted as one of her best friends was Ginny Weasley. Ginny was very smart but really funny as well, and Hermione really liked her.  
  
But when all was said and done, she knew that her best friends were Harry and Ron, and that she didn't need any others anyway.  
  
Hermione looked over at Jennifer. She had a feeling that Jennifer wouldn't really understand. "Um, yeah we do. My two roommates and I always have midnight feasts. It's really fun, but we're just a bit tired the next day." She said with a smile.  
  
Jennifer giggled. "Yeah. Well, sorry I'm asking so many questions, but you see, I'm going to a boarding school, and I, um, I want to know about it." She said with a grin. Hermione was a little surprised. Now her curiosity was explained, Hermione felt a little guilty about lying to Jennifer about her school when all she wanted to know what it was really going to be like for her, but she could hardly refuse to speak now could she?  
  
For the next ten minutes Hermione answered every question Jennifer threw at her. By the time the cakes were done, Hermione had made St. Matthew's Academy seem like a very interesting school to go to. They spent the next hour making different colours of icing up and decorating the cakes with smiley faces and silly pictures, and then sat down to eat them while watching some of Hermione's Friends videos. They found out that they both shared a love for Chandler Bing and Matthew Perry, though they are kind of the same person.  
  
Hermione had the newest friends videos, the ones that had only been shown on Sky television, but of course Jennifer had already seen them all in America. Hermione was starting to get annoyed with her constantly saying, "Oh, this bit is sooo funny!" and "Watch what happens next 'Mione!" Because then of course, Hermione missed what was said because Jennifer was talking. But she didn't get too riled up, after all, she lived with her Dad, and he was a hundred times worse.  
  
At four o, clock, Jennifer's parents came to pick her up. Their car was packed with shopping bags and decorating equipment. Hermione and her sister arranged to meet again on Monday, as they both had busy weekends. They hugged each other goodbye, something Hermione found quite a new experience as whenever she hugged either Harry or Ron, they got all embarrassed. Boys.  
  
Hermione sat in her recliner for ten minutes after Jennifer left, just sitting completely still and relaxing after the long day they had had. After a while, she switched off the T.V and cleared away the cake wrappers and crumbs they had left behind. She cleaned the kitchen and then sat down at the kitchen table, feeling tired but exhilarated. She had got through an entire day without going insane, or making a complete fool of herself. Now all she wanted to do was kick back and relax with a good book, but did she have one? Of course not. So instead she went to see if Harry and Ron were back from Diagon Alley. She retrieved the Trepta from its hiding place and laid it out on the table.  
  
Hr- Harry and Ron in. Hi you two. Are you back yet?  
  
R- No.  
  
H-We're writing this through our minds. Woooooooooo!  
  
Hr- Ghosts don't scare me, and ha ha, very funny.  
  
R- How was the reunion?  
  
Hr- Great. Lots of fun. I'm really bored at the moment though.  
  
H- Oh that's nice. So you only talk to us when you've got nothing else to do?  
  
Hr- Yep.  
  
R- So you haven't got the package yet?  
  
Hr- What package?  
  
H- Way to blow the surprise Ron.  
  
R- Oops. Sorry.  
  
Hr- What package??? Tell me!  
  
H- You'll see.  
  
Hermione hear a sudden, sharp tapping on the window and looked up to see Hedwig beating her wings to stay in flight, whilst trying to hold up a very heavy looking package.  
  
Hr- Hedwig's here. I'll just be a minute.  
  
Hermione ran to the window and through it open for the owl. She soared through and dropped the rectangular parcel on the table with a dull thud. She landed next to it, ruffling her feathers importantly and staring at Hermione through beady eyes. Hermione walked over to the table with a dubious look on her face. Knowing Ron and Harry, they had bought her some kind of magical trick. After all, Fred and George would have been with them. She took a deep breath and tore away the string and brown paper that wrapped it up. Hermione gasped.  
  
It was a book. And not just any book. 'Famous Magical Personages and their Contribution to the Wizarding World.' On the last day of term, Hermione had written out a list of all the books she wanted to buy in Diagon Alley, and this one had been at the top. They had actually remembered! Hermione grabbed her quill.  
  
Hr- Thank you thank you thank you!!!!! You two are so great!  
  
R- Flattery will get you nowhere. You're not getting anything else.  
  
Hr- Why on Earth did you buy it though?  
  
H- We knew that you'd be dying of boredom come Saturday, so we thought we'd rescue you. Consider it an early birthday present.  
  
Hr- Thank you so much. I love it and I haven't even read it yet.  
  
R- Look on the inside cover.  
  
H- Or not.  
  
Hermione grinned and reached for the book. She flipped open the front cover and found a message written by both Ron and Harry. She read it eagerly.  
  
(A/N- The next part is the message, not the Trepta.)  
  
R- To Hermione Granger. From the bestest friends ever.  
  
H- And the most modest.  
  
R- (Look on age 346 for Harry Potter.)  
  
H- He's lying.  
  
R- Yeah, sorry. Page 347.  
  
H- I AM NOT IN THIS BOOK!  
  
R- You haven't looked!  
  
H- We're running out of room to write.  
  
R- Oh yeah. Bye Herm!  
  
H- See ya!  
  
Hermione shook her head. It was just like in Harry's 'Fantastic Beats' book, where all three of them had written in the front cover. Hermione quickly flipped to the index and searched through the 'P' section. A grin spread over her face as she wrote on the Trepta.  
  
Hr- It's page 875 actually.  
  
H- WHAT?  
  
R- He's in the book?  
  
Hr- Yep. There's an entire double page spread!  
  
H- You can't see, but I'm really annoyed right now.  
  
R- I'll bet.  
  
Hermione's eyes widened as she focused on a small, moving picture in the corner of the 'Harry Potter' page. It had obviously been taken on the platform 9 and ¾, and she certainly didn't remember it being taken. But there she was, and Ron too. Harry was in the middle, and they were all laughing at something. The caption underneath read; "Mr. Potter relaxes with his best friends, Muggle-born Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley, son of Arthur Weasley, head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office at the Ministry of Magic."  
  
Hr- We're in it as well.  
  
R-WHAT?  
  
Hr- There's a picture that's been taken at King's Cross one year, and we're all in it, and it's got our names underneath and everything.  
  
H- I'm laughing at the moment, really hard. Is it a nice photo?  
  
Hr- Yeah, actually it is.  
  
H- Well, that's something. I've got to go, dinner's ready. Wish me luck.  
  
Hr- Good luck, and thanks!  
  
R- See you later.  
  
H- Harry out.  
  
R- Are we really in that book?  
  
Hr- Yes. We're all laughing at something.  
  
R- I'll believe it when I see it. I've got to go as well now anyway. Maybe we'll speak again later.  
  
Hr- Sure, And thanks again for the book.  
  
R- No problem. Ron out.  
  
Hr- Hermione out. 


	6. Two more days to go...

Disclaimer- I only own the Fosters and the plot. Nothing else.  
  
This chapter is dedicated to moodyirishbabe, for boycotting school. Go and read her story Carefree. (But read this story first of course!)  
  
Chapter Six- Two more days to go…  
  
Hr- Harry and Ron in. Hello!  
  
H- Hi.  
  
R- How was your trip to the cimena?  
  
H- It's CINEMA you idiot.  
  
R- Look Potter, I don't even know what it is, and your obsessing about the speeling?  
  
H- SPELLING.  
  
R- Oh sod off!  
  
Hr- You always make spelling mistakes when you write fast Ron. I notice it whenever you try to finish History of Magic essays right before class.  
  
H- You also spill your ink. Mostly over me.  
  
R- That happened once! In the FIRST year! Oh well, I suppose elephants never forget- even the midget ones like you.  
  
H- Shut up you little…  
  
R- Little? Bit rich coming from you.  
  
Hr- Break it up! Honestly, it's like a nursery school in here. To answer the question Ron, I had a lovely time at the cinema, thank you.  
  
H- What did you see?  
  
Hr- Die Hard With A Vengeance.  
  
H- Is that the second one?  
  
Hr- No. The second one is Die Hard 2. Duh! I love that film! I love all of them!  
  
H- I've never seen them. But even so I didn't really have you pegged as someone who liked Die Hard films.  
  
R- Neither did I. I've only ever seen the first one. Didn't even know there were sequels.  
  
H- You've seen Die Hard?  
  
R-Yeah.  
  
H- Prove it.  
  
R- It's that film where that plice-polc-ploci, well, whatever they're called blokes gets stuck in that big building and single-handedly kills all the terrorists. And he's got that limo driver in the basement who just sits there listening to music and doesn't know what's going on. And a friend outside on the radio called Al who…  
  
Hr- I believe you.  
  
H- Is he right?  
  
Hr- Yes. He just described Die Hard. But I don't get where he saw it though.  
  
R- HE'S still here you know!  
  
Hr- Sorry. Where did you see it?  
  
R- My Dad had a player thingy once and we watched two videos. One was Die Hard, which I liked but Ginny hated. Then we watched this Robin Hood film, which was alright, but not as good as Die Hard.  
  
H- Robin Hood? It wasn't cartoon foxes was it?  
  
R- Huh?  
  
H- Obviously not.  
  
R- Anyway. It had the same bad guy in it as Die Hard did. But in one he was German and in the other he was English. And he had different hair as well.  
  
Hr- Robin Hood Prince of Thieves! I love that film!  
  
R- Yeah that was it! Anyway, I only remember that guy because…  
  
Hr- Alan Rickman. He's a good actor isn't he?  
  
R- Er, yeah. Anyway, he really reminds me of Snape.  
  
Hr- Oh yeah! He does kind of look like him.  
  
R- But the way he speaks as well.  
  
Hr- Yeah, sort of.  
  
H- I've only ever seen the Disney film, and that was when I was five.  
  
Hr- I love that film as well!  
  
H- You would.  
  
Hr- What's that supposed to mean, shorty?  
  
R- Touché Hermione!  
  
H- What?  
  
Hr- It's like when you're fencing. It's pronounced tooshay.  
  
H- Oh. THAT you can spell?  
  
R- Ha ha.  
  
Hr- Oh! I've got something to show you both, but as I can't, I'll have to write it down here. This is a direct quote from 'Famous Magical Personages and their Contribution to the Wizarding World'. Right. Are you ready?  
  
R- Yep.  
  
H- Wait. Who is this about?  
  
Hr- You'll see Mr Potter. Here we go:  
  
'In spite of the cleverly spun elusions about Mr. Potter, and the noble bearing he does indeed possess, the fifteen year-old hero is a studious, quiet boy at heart. He excels in all his subjects and promises to be an even greater Wizard than he already is when he graduates in three years time. Harry is a passionate Quidditch fan, a skilled seeker, and has been playing for the Gryffindor team since his first year at Hogwarts- the first person to do so in a century.  
  
The winner of the last Triwizard Tournament, young Mr. Potter likes nothing more than to relax with his friends over homework or a game of chess- another pastime Harry excels at. With all these charming characteristics, all we can say is 'Mothers- lock up your daughters!''  
  
Hr- Hello? Anyone there?  
  
H- Harry out.  
  
Hr- Harry? Don't be like that. I'm sorry.  
  
R- Don't be. You made my day.  
  
Hr- Why is your writing shaky?  
  
R- Because I'm laughing so much.  
  
Hr- Where's Harry gone?  
  
R- Beats me. Since when was Harry good at chess?  
  
Hr- He always beats me.  
  
R- That doesn't prove anything.  
  
Hr- Hey!  
  
H- Hermione and Ron in. Hi. Sorry about that, but I thought I was going to be sick.  
  
Hr- Oops. Sorry Harry. Are you alright now?  
  
H- Yeah, I'm fine. Back to my normal self.  
  
R- Good to know your noble bearing wasn't damaged.  
  
H- Shut up.  
  
R- And you do not excel in your subjects.  
  
H- Thanks a lot.  
  
R- You're welcome.  
  
H- Is that really in the book?  
  
Hr- You think I made it up?  
  
R- No way! If you did, it would have been better.  
  
Hr- You're right there. Listen to this, straight off the top of my head:  
  
'Harry Potter- the boy who lived; who wears glasses and is the shortest boy in the class. Average in most of his subjects, except for Divination of course, in which he receives excellent marks for his outrageously tragic predictions. A very good flyer, Harry has been on the Quidditch team since his first year, and since then has only lost one match, one arm, and his best-friends flying car.  
  
Winner of the last Triwizard Tournament, Harry likes nothing more than to lose at chess, receive detentions, get out of doing homework, and plot ways of getting Draco Malfoy expelled. With these charming characteristics, all I can say is- 'may god have mercy on our souls.''  
  
H- How poetic.  
  
R- You mean pathetic.  
  
Hr- Excuse me?  
  
R- I could do much better than that!  
  
Hr- Go on then!  
  
H- Here we go again.  
  
R- Shut it Potter. My turn to write.  
  
'Harry Potter- the boy who isn't anyone special. Sure he defeated You-Know- Who when he was a baby and all, but that wasn't down to HIM. Harry James Potter is useless in all his classes, and only gets by in them by copying from his extremely intelligent and brilliant friend Ron Weasley, oh and Hermione Granger as well. He scrapes by in Divination by the classic method- making things up. He has a Firebolt, which anyone looks good on, so as Harry can fly O.K, it makes him look brilliant. His hair is a mess, his glasses keep breaking, his cousin bullies him, he finds it impossible to travel by Floo powder, he drags his friends into pits of giant spiders, he…'  
  
H- I didn't drag you anywhere.  
  
R- O.K, I'll retract that.  
  
Hr- That wasn't very nice Ron.  
  
R- It wasn't meant to be. And yours wasn't exactly an Ode to Harry either.  
  
Hr- It was nicer than that!  
  
R- I was only joking!  
  
H- Cool it. I thought it was good. Both of them. But can you hear my one now?  
  
'Harry James Potter- fifth year student of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Short, wears glasses, messy hair, scar on forehead, but normal in every other way. Except that people keep trying to kill him of course. Oh well.'  
  
R- It was as boring as hell, but pretty true.  
  
Hr- I liked it! Good for you Harry!  
  
H- I'll do Ron now.  
  
'Ronald Francis Edmund Gregory Simon Weasley- fifth year student at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Tall, lanky, bright red hair, lots of freckles, pretty good at chess, but normal in every other way. Except that every year he gets roped into something or other by his best friend and nearly ends up dead. Oh well. Oh yeah, he's also scared of spiders.'  
  
Hr- *Francis Edmund Gregory Simon*? Blimey, that's a mouthful!  
  
R- How do you know my middle names?  
  
H- Fred and George told me.  
  
R- Sods. Would you like to know their full names?  
  
H- Go on then.  
  
R- George Reginald Sinclair Bartholomew Leonard Weasley, and Frederick Rupert Sebastian Eugene Hubert Weasley. I personally think I got off lightly.  
  
Hr- What about the others?  
  
R- I'll try to remember. William Arthur Maximillion Terrence Berkley Weasley, Charles Vincent Geoffrey Marcus Rufus Weasley, and Percy Edward Ignatius Homer Gerard Weasley.  
  
Hr- What about Ginny?  
  
R- Sure you got the time?  
  
Hr- Is her name long?  
  
R- You could put it like that. Virginia Jocelyn Liana Rosemary Hermione Cordelia Vianne Weasley.  
  
H- What a mouthful!  
  
Hr- Her real name's Virginia? And her middle name's Hermione? And I wasn't told?  
  
R- Sorry.  
  
Hr- That's alright. I know now. Does she like being called Virginia?  
  
G- NO I DO NOT! MY NAME IS GINNY, AND IF ANY OF YOU EVER…  
  
H- Ginny?  
  
Hr- That was her, wasn't it?  
  
H- I think so.  
  
Hr- Ron? Hello?  
  
H- Where's he gone now?  
  
R- Sorry about that. She was reading over my shoulder and I didn't notice her. I'm in my room now so she won't be able to interfere again.  
  
Hr- You're so mean to her.  
  
R- I am not. I'm a very caring older brother thank you very much.  
  
H- Why does she hate being called Virginia?  
  
R- She just doesn't like the name. And we're all used to 'Ginny', so it doesn't matter.  
  
Hr- I think it's a beautiful name. All her names are. Especially the 'Hermione' one.  
  
H- So modest.  
  
Hr- Of course.  
  
R- Right, Hermione's turn for a description paragraph!  
  
Hr- Sorry, I haven't got time.  
  
R- Wimp.  
  
Hr- No, it's just that I'm going out for dinner and I have to get ready. It's the last night we'll see Bob and Deirdre before I go back to school.  
  
R- Is just me or have you seen them every day since I sent you the Trepta?  
  
Hr- Except for the day I went to Diagon alley, yes I have seen them every day.  
  
R- They don't know about Hogwarts, do they?  
  
Hr- Of course not! I'm not stupid! It's been hard though. I really want to tell her.  
  
R- You mean them.  
  
Hr- Yeah. Sorry.  
  
R- Well have a nice dinner. I'm out all day tomorrow so I'll speak to you on Monday.  
  
H- Only one more day and two more nights! I can't wait.  
  
Hr- Me either. See you guys later. Hermione out.  
  
  
  
Sorry this chapter took me a while to put up, but I've been in Wales on a school trip. Anyway, hope you liked the first completely Trepta chapter. Please review! Ppppppppplllllllllllleeeeeaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?????????? ?!!!!!!!!!!! Thanx! 


	7. A familiar face on the Hogwarts Express

Disclaimer- I only own Jennifer foster and the plot. **Sighs** Oh well…  
  
A/N- Thanx to all my reviewers- Love ya'll!  
  
Chapter Seven- A familiar face on the Hogwarts Express.  
  
"Um, hi. Can I sit with you?"  
  
Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil looked up at the girl standing in the doorway of the train compartment. She wore a white baseball cap and big, very stylish sunglasses. Her hair was scooped up under her hat and she had a thick Californian accent. She was dressed smartly, but casually at the same time, something that the two of them were always trying to achieve. Her trunk was hovering behind her, but it was a different trunk to the English ones- this one had carved shooting stars travelling over the lid.  
  
The girl was obviously new, and Lavender and Parvati didn't have to think twice about letting her join them. They were always keen for gossip. They both nodded at the girl, who gave them a relieved smile and came into the compartment, sliding he door shut behind her.  
  
Once she had stowed her trunk away in the luggage rack above, the girl sat down opposite them and smiled again. She had a vaguely familiar smile, but the two best friends couldn't quite put their fingers on it.  
  
"So, um, you're new then?" Asked Lavender, trying to be friendly. The girl nodded.  
  
"Yeah." She said. "I've just transferred from Salem- my parents are English and they wanted to come back. So here I am."  
  
"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Asked Parvati. The girl seemed to think carefully before answering.  
  
"Well, yes, I do. I have a sister, but she's a Gandle."  
  
"A what?" Lavender and Parvati cried together in confusion.  
  
"A Muggle." The girl said quickly. "Sorry." She added with a grin and a shrug.  
  
Lavender grinned back. "That's all right. Are you in your fifth year?" She asked. The girl nodded, and Lavender and Parvati grinned again.  
  
"Good, so are we." Parvati said. "I'm Parvati Patil by the way, and this is Lavender Brown."  
  
The girl smiled. "Pleased to meet you both. I'm Jennifer Foster."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Do you believe me now?" Hermione said, pushing the heavy book across the table to Ron. He picked it up and grinned. "Yep. Hey! Don't I look good!?"  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes and Harry laughed. "That's a matter of opinion." He said, peering over Ron's shoulder at the book. He grimaced and sat back. "Put it away now- it's all a load of lies anyway."  
  
"You mean you don't receive fan mail?" Hermione asked, pretending to be surprised. Ron snorted. "Where does it say that?" He asked with another grin, scanning the pages eagerly. He looked up. "Since when are you handsome and charismatic?" He asked.  
  
Harry grabbed the book off of him and slammed it shut, while Ron fell about laughing. Hermione jumped as Harry slammed the book. "Careful!" She cried. "My Trepta's in there!" Hermione picked up the book and flipped through until she had found the piece of parchment. She breathed a sigh of relief and banished the book away to her trunk.  
  
Ron recovered from his laughing fit and sat up as if suddenly remembering something. "So, what was the big news you just couldn't tell us over the Trepta then?" He asked curiously. Hermione had to think for a moment before she realised what he meant. When it hit her, she couldn't believe that she'd forgotten. But she had to tell them about Jennifer. And now was as good a time as any. Hermione took a deep breath, and began.  
  
"Well, you probably aren't going to believe me, but here goes. My dad came home early the day you sent us both the Treptas, to tell me that Josephine Yates had been in contact with them. Josephine Yates had been their social worker when they going through the adoption process, but they hadn't heard from her in fifteen years. Anyway, she told us something that we had never known anything about." Hermione paused, took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I have a twin sister."  
  
Silence greeted her last remark. Hermione opened one of her eyes and peered at her best friends. They were just sitting there, dumbstruck, and staring at her in disbelief. Hermione waited a few minutes, but still they just sat there, looking as though they had both been petrified. She sighed.  
  
"Oh! And also, just before the summer holidays started, Viktor Krum got me pregnant." She said casually. It worked. Both of the boys snapped out of their little daydreams so fast that Hermione made a mental note to use that trick in the future. She grinned.  
  
"Hey! Welcome back!" She said sarcastically to them both. They didn't answer, and Hermione sighed again. "It's true. The twin part, not the pregnant part, obviously. She's called Jennifer Foster and she's been living with her adoptive parents in California for the last fifteen years. We met over the summer. The reason I couldn't go to Diagon alley with you two was because she was coming up my house that day. I made up Deirdre and Bob. Sorry." Hermione smiled, trying to get a reaction out of her friends.  
  
"You…you do believe me, don't you?" She asked uncertainly. Finally, there was movement. "Well, yeah, I, well yeah." Harry said, glancing out of the window as he spoke. Hermione looked at Ron, who nodded. "I believe you, though it does seem pretty, well…"  
  
"Unbelievable." She finished with a sigh. "I know." She said. "But wait 'til you meet her. She's really nice, although she sometimes seems a tiny bit…" Hermione's voice trailed off as an eruption of giggles was heard from the next-door compartment. It sounded like a laughter bomb had gone off in there. Hermione shrugged and continued.  
  
"Anyway, as I was saying, she's really…" The giggles came again, and this time they seemed louder. Hermione frowned. "That sounds like Lavender and Parvati." She said, swivelling round in her seat so she could hear the sounds better.  
  
"Figures." Harry muttered. Hermione nodded in agreement and Ron stood up. "Where are you going?" She asked in surprise. "I'm gonna go and see what's going on." He said, sliding the door open and going through into the corridor. Hermione rolled her eyes and sat back. Lavender and Parvati would not take kindly to Ron telling them to shut up. And she was the one stuck in the same dormitory as them.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Lavender and Parvati had really taken to Jennifer. She was really funny and smart, and was really nice to top it all off. They asked her all kinds of questions about life at Salem, and she in turn asked a lot about Hogwarts. They could tell she was very nervous about starting a new school, and they had already decided to take this new girl under their wing.  
  
Jennifer cleared her throat. "So anyway. I heard that you have a sorting hat or something. Will I have to try it on in front of everyone?" She looked terrified at the very thought. Lavender and Parvati shook their heads with a smile. "No." Said Lavender. "You try it on, but not in front of everyone. A new girl transferred from Beuxbatons a couple of years ago and Professor McGonagall sorted her before the feast started. I just hope you're in Gryffindor." She added with a grin.  
  
Jennifer smiled. "I hope so too. After all, you're the only people I know so far." She said with a sigh. Parvati smiled happily. "Well, I guess that's just your good luck then, isn't it?" she said with a wink. Jennifer started laughing, and soon the other two joined in. "So how long will it take to get to Hogwarts anyway?" Jennifer asked. "All day." Parvati replied, rolling her eyes. Jennifer groaned. "Blimey. So what are we meant to do all day then?"  
  
Lavender pulled something out of he jacket pocket. It was a Muggle magazine, full of pictures of celebrities. She grinned wickedly. "We make fun of people. What else?" She opened the magazine, and the three of them pored over it, pointing things out and joking as though they'd been friends for years. And it felt like they had.  
  
"So what's the talent like at Hogwarts then? 'Coz the Salem boys were…" Jennifer began, but Parvati cut her off. "Oh, we've heard all the rumours about the Salem boys. Don't worry." The three of them giggled and Lavender continued. "Well, wait to you meet Dean and Seamus, they're in our class and they are so…"  
  
Parvati interrupted her with a sly grin. "Oh, yeah, they're great, but wait 'til you see Ron." She said. Lavender frowned. "Ron *Weasley*?" She asked dubiously. Parvati nodded. "Yeah. I saw him a few weeks ago in Diagon alley, and boy has he changed. Well, he looks the same, kind of, but he really seems older." Parvati sighed heavily. "Shame he's already taken." She added wistfully.  
  
Lavender and Parvati looked at each other and suddenly erupted into a fit of giggles, earning a very weird look from Jennifer. "What? Has he got a…?" She stated to say, but Lavender wiped her eyes and answered her half- finished question. "No, he doesn't have a girlfriend, but we still consider him taken." She said.  
  
Jennifer frowned. "Why?" She asked with interest. Parvati grinned. "Because he is so obviously head over heels for his best friend. But she seems to be the only one who doesn't see it." Parvati shook her head, still laughing quietly. Jennifer grinned. "Aww, that is so sweet! But how do you know?" She asked, leaning forward to listen better.  
  
Lavender smirked. "Well, there was this Yule ball thing last year and…" She didn't finish, because she had unfortunately glanced at Parvati, and they had both started laughing again, really loudly. Jennifer grinned. She wanted to know what was so funny. "Tell me!" She demanded. Lavender sighed. "Well, as I was…was saying…" she started. But once again she was interrupted. Though this time, it wasn't by a fit of giggles. Nope. The compartment door slid open to reveal a tall, red-haired boy, who looked about their age, standing there with his arms folded. Parvati and Lavender turned so red that Jennifer could feel the heat radiating from them. This was obviously Ron Weasley.  
  
Parvati swallowed. "Um, hi Ron." She said uncertainly. Ron nodded. "Hi." He said. "I just wanted to find out what was going on in here. We're all next door and…" Lavender gasped. "Did you hear us?" She asked worriedly. Ron shrugged. "We could hear loads of laughing, but that was it. Why? What's going on?" he asked with a frown.  
  
Lavender and Parvati breathed visible sighs of relief. "Er, nothing. We're just having a laugh, that's all." Parvati answered, folding her arms. Ron rolled his eyes. "Fine." He said with a grin. "But do you mind if I put a silencing charm on the compartment? We can't hear ourselves think." Lavender and Parvati rolled their eyes back at him. "Fine. Finished now?"  
  
Ron rolled his eyes again and turned to leave when his eyes fell on Jennifer. She smiled at him. "Nice hat." Ron said. Jennifer shrugged. "Thanks. But I suppose I don't really need these anymore…" she smiled again and removed the hat to reveal very bushy brown hair. Next she reached up and pulled off her sunglasses. Ron swallowed. Parvati and Lavender gasped loudly. Jennifer looked at them all confusedly. "What?"  
  
Parvati buried her face in her hands, muttering "Oh my God oh my God oh my God…" under her breath. Lavender's face turned white, then green, and then settled on a nice magenta colour. Parvati lifted her head and squirmed uneasily in her seat.  
  
"We, we were only joking you know. I mean you really had us fooled. But we were only joking…" Her eyes flicked over to Ron, who was still staring at Jennifer. That was wrong. If Hermione had come to spy on them or whatever, Ron and Harry would have been in on it.  
  
'Jennifer' looked at them all worriedly. What was going on? She cleared her throat nervously. "Listen, I don't know what…" Ron held up his hand and she fell silent.  
  
"Sorry. You must be Jennifer Foster. I'm Ron Weasley." He said, extending his hand. Jennifer shook it, more confused by the second. "Um, hi." She said. "How do you know my name?"  
  
Ron glanced at Parvati and Lavender- who were sitting dumbstruck in their seats- with amusement. He turned back to Jennifer and smiled. "Your twin sister is my best friend." He said casually.  
  
Jennifer collapsed onto her seat with a thump. Twin sister? Hermione? Hermione was here? But, but that would make her a…  
  
"What are you doing? How long does it take to…?" Hermione Granger appeared behind Ron, obviously investigating what was taking him so long. Her eyes fell on Jennifer, however, and she stopped dead in her tracks. Her mouth fell open and, once again, the expression on her face was mirrored in her twins'.  
  
Parvati and Lavender sat completely silent, not out of courtesy for the moment, but because they could not find anything to say. They were completely identical. Jennifer and Hermione. Hermione and Jennifer. One in the seat opposite them, and one standing in the doorway. And it was obvious by the look on their faces that they had not expected to see each other there.  
  
"J-Jennifer?" Hermione asked uncertainly. Jennifer stood up and smiled meekly. "Hi Hermione." She said. Ron, knowing what was going to happen, quickly stepped out of the way so the girls could hug each other. He rolled his eyes. Typical.  
  
"I can't believe it! You're a witch!" Hermione exclaimed, as they broke apart. "I really wanted to tell you I was but I…"  
  
"I know! It was bad, wasn't it? But now…" Jennifer suddenly started laughing. "'Mione! St. Matthew's! Oh my god!" Jennifer started laughing really hard. "No wonder you didn't like me asking questions about your school." Hermione smiled, but didn't join in the laughing. Ron knew why.  
  
"Hermione Granger! Do you mean to tell me you actually *lied*? To your own flesh and blood?" He asked, pretending to be deeply shocked. Hermione shot him an evil look, but he could see that she still looked uncomfortable. She hated to lie. Ron grinned.  
  
"I'm only joking! You did what you had to do. If you'd told her about Hogwarts, you could have been expelled." He said. "And that would be a tragedy. Who would help me with my homework?"  
  
"It's not like she helps you anyway." A voice behind Ron said. It was Harry, obviously tired of being left alone. Ron sniggered. Harry looked over at Jennifer. "So what's going on in here Herm?" He asked. Jennifer shifted slightly, and Ron started to laugh. Hermione leant round Ron and waved her hand in front of Harry's face. He started. His eyes flickered between Jennifer and Hermione, his face turning a bit red.  
  
"O.K." He said slowly. Hermione grinned. "Harry, this is my sister, Jennifer. Jen, this is Harry Potter." She said. Harry held out his hand to Jennifer, who shook it, looking- quite literally- star-struck.  
  
"*The* Harry Potter?" She asked, her eyes widening as she glanced at the scar on his forehead. Harry dropped his hand. Ron stopped laughing and Hermione stopped grinning. They knew how much Harry hated things like this. Jennifer seemed oblivious. As did Parvati and Lavender.  
  
"Yep. He's in our class." Lavender said, snapping out of her trance. She smiled at Jennifer, who looked impressed. "Cool. So you three are in Gryffindor as well?" She asked, turning back to face Harry, Ron and Hermione. Hermione nodded and Jennifer grinned. "That's great. So sit down 'Mione! I want you to answer all my questions again, and this time don't lie." She said, flopping back down into her seat and pulling Hermione down with her.  
  
"Um…" She said, glancing at Ron and Harry. She knew they probably weren't in the mood to sit down with four giggling girls and listen to them talk about Hogwarts-neither was she to tell the truth. She had to stay, obviously, but she didn't expect the boys to hang around any longer than they had to. And she was right.  
  
"Yeah. Er, we're gonna go back next door. Nice to meet you Jennifer." Harry said turning to leave. "See you later." Ron said, as he did the same. They both left.  
  
"So Hermione, why didn't you tell us you had another half?" She said wickedly. Hermione smiled, unsure of what to say. She didn't like the way Jennifer was referred to as her 'other half'. They weren't halves. They were two *wholes*, and totally different people. She had known that since the first day they had met.  
  
Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Jennifer cut her off. "She didn't tell you, because she didn't know. Hermione didn't find out about me until the day before we met." She said excitedly. Parvati and Lavender sat forward eagerly. "Wow. That's so sweet. So tell us everything that happened." Parvati said, her eyes shining.  
  
So Jennifer did, and Hermione sat in her chair, bored out of her mind. Jennifer would sometimes refer to her, but then if Hermione tried to answer, Jennifer would just cut her off again. After two hours of not being able to get a word in edgeways, Hermione was starting to get annoyed. At one of the rare moments her three companions paused for breath, she cleared her throat and stood up. "Er, I think I'll go back next door now Jen." She said with a smile.  
  
Jennifer looked up at her, a crestfallen expression on her face. "Oh, please don't go 'Mione. Stay in here with me. It's my first day, and I need you. Please?" Jennifer looked so alone that Hermione felt her defences crumble at once. She was just being selfish- Jennifer did need her there. Hermione sat down again and smiled. "Ok then." She said.  
  
"So, do you hang around with those two, like, all the time?" Jennifer asked her. Hermione frowned. "Who? Oh- you mean Harry and Ron? Well, yeah- they are my best friends." She said. Jennifer chuckled suddenly. "Best friends? That's funny." She said, starting to giggle harder. Hermione frowned again. "Er, why?" She asked. Jennifer shrugged, still smiling. "Well, no offence honey, but you're kidding yourself. Boys and girls can be acquaintances, and they can go out with each other, but *friends* is pushing it. Best friends is impossible. I've seen it happen." She said airily, turning back to Parvati and Lavender.  
  
But Hermione wasn't finished with her twin yet. "Well, excuse me Jen, but you're wrong. Because they are my *best* friends. Like it or lump it." She said coolly. Jennifer raised her eyebrows. "Wow. She's really defensive of them, isn't she?" Jennifer said to Parvati and Lavender with a smirk. They giggled, and Hermione felt like exploding. "*She's* still here you know." She said angrily.  
  
Jennifer turned back to her looking sceptic. "Look, I'm sorry 'Mione, but I was just voicing an opinion. It's a well known fact that no boy can understand the female species, and friends have to able to understand each other I'm afraid." She said with a shrug. The sound of a food trolley being pushed along the corridor came from outside, and Jennifer jumped up.  
  
"Now, as your twin and your friend, I understand what you need right now." She said, jumping over her legs and sliding open the carriage door. "Chocolate." She said wickedly. Parvati and Lavender started laughing. "Hear hear!" They cried, then laughing even more. Hermione stood up as well. "No, really Jen…" She began, but her twin cut her off. "It's alright 'Mione, I insist." She said, gently pushing her back down into her seat. Hermione sat back down with a sigh, pointedly ignoring Parvati and Lavender, who were talking and giggling quietly.  
  
Jennifer's words were revolving round in Hermione's head, and even though she didn't believe any of it, it still really annoyed her. She was acting as though she knew what was best about everything, but in reality she didn't even know Harry and Ron at all. If she did, she would know that even though they might not *understand* her completely, (who did anyway?) they *knew* her better than anyone else. And vice versa. Like when Jen had first seen Harry, and Hermione and Ron had known what he must have been feeling. Or when Ron had known what she had been so uncomfortable about when Jen had mentioned St Matthew's. Or like last year, Hermione had known exactly why Ron suddenly wasn't speaking to Harry, and Harry had known that he could count on her to help him learn a Summoning charm. They knew each other really well, and that's why they were best friends.  
  
Getting her mind back into the present, Hermione realised that she had been correct all those weeks ago- Jennifer was like Parvati and Lavender, only not so bad. In fact, when she was alone, she was almost normal. However, just like Lavender and Parvati, the more there were of them, the worse they acted. 'I bet Jennifer loves divination.' Hermione thought bitterly.  
  
Hermione shifted in her seat, wondering why she was feeling so resentful towards her twin. She didn't wonder for very long though. She hadn't seen Harry and Ron for over eight weeks, and today she had only spoken to them for only ten minutes. And, Hermione had a nasty feeling that Jennifer was going to want to stick to her side like glue. And that meant Parvati and Lavender within two metres of her. Hermione shuddered slightly. Ugh. And of course that meant… Harry and Ron would stay away. Wherever Parvati and Lavender were, they weren't.  
  
"Ok. Dig in you three." Jennifer poured an armful of chocolate bars onto the table with a grin. "Especially you 'Mione." She said, grabbing a chocolate frog. Hermione sighed and took one as well. To tell the truth she had never really been a lover of chocolate, and all she wanted right now was a pumpkin pasty.  
  
  
  
  
  
Yes, yes- this took me like… wait a minute- it was that long? You're kidding right? No? Oh God, I'm sorry. I started this chapter like, a month ago, and it's just taken me sooooooooo long. Sorry! Anyway, this chapter was the start of a bumpy ride for Hermione, who, (poor dear) is discovering that life with an annoying shadow (aka her twin) isn't a bunch of sweet- smelling roses. Don't worry- Jen is a good person and all, but she is too much like L & P to be good friend material for her. Sorry!  
  
p.s- this is a happy story, don't worry.  
  
p.p.s- please review!  
  
Luv sparkley xxx  
  
This is a new part of my author's note, written about a week after the above. My Internet at home isn't working, so I didn't have a clue how to upload this. But then my mate Aleydis, (whom everyone should really thank for typing this all out again- how long must it have taken?), said she'd upload it from her house, so here it is! Enjoy! 


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